Sunday, January 15, 2012

By now maybe you have seen this video shot at DG's Taphouse in Ames, Iowa of Radio Moscow's final moments as of January 7th, 2012.

It shows lead singer Parker Griggs hurling his guitar into the drumset of drummer Cory Berry. Berry retaliates and launches the Strat back at Griggs, who doesn't have time to react, and takes a hard shot to the forehead. It was a violent end to Radio Moscow as we knew them. What ensued was Griggs being rushed to the ER and taking 14 stitches... And a whole lot of propaganda bullshit on the part of the person(s) who made this video.

The video runs like a documentary. To take it on the surface, you would believe that drummer Cory Berry and bassist Zach Anderson were a couple of backstabbers, who went against their word and sabotaged Parker Griggs reneging on an agreement to complete a tour. It reads like this:

On January 7th, 2012, Radio Moscow played at DG's Taphouse in Ames, IA. This was only the second stop in a handful of shows in the Midwest, precursors to the U.S. tour with Graveyard.

After months of mounting tension within the band, Radio Moscow had come to an agreement that the current line-up would complete one last tour and then pursue separate endeavors. However, moments before taking the stage, the rhythm section informed Parker Griggs, guitarist and vocalist, they would not be continuing with the remainder of the tour.

The truth of the matter is, Cory and Zach quit the band several months earlier. They had grown tired of Parker's drunken outbursts onstage, and his inability to properly communicate offstage. There was some jealousy on Parker's part directed at Cory and Zach for working with Mondo Drag on their new studio album. Even though Cory and Zach had officially left the Radio Moscow months before, Parker would carry on as if nothing had happened and the band was still intact.

"We actually quit four months ago," said Cory, "We were living in California, and only came back to Iowa to form our new band, Blues Pills. We were just hanging out and working on music when we got a text message from Parker asking us if we would play with Radio Moscow while touring with Graveyard. Graveyard is one of our favorite bands, so we were like, of course! We told Parker right then and there that this would be the last time we all played together. It would have benefited both of us (Parker for having a band to tour with, and Cory and Zach for touring with Graveyard) despite our friends and family telling us not to do it."

Radio Moscow scheduled a few shows as a precursor to going on tour. The night before the infamous show in Ames, Radio Moscow was playing in Iowa City. The crowd was chanting Zach and Cory's names, and giving them a lot of love and support. Parker reacting in a jealous fit, threw a can of beer, which hit an unsuspecting young lady in the face.

The next day Parker acted as if nothing had happened. Cory and Zach told Parker that they were NOT going to do the Graveyard tour with Radio Moscow, that they would finish the precursor dates already scheduled in Iowa and that would be the end of it. According to Cory, that next day there was tension, but nothing too crazy. Parker avoided conversation with Cory and Zach at all costs during the day, finally only speaking to them once they hit the stage that final night in Ames.

"Are you guys going to do the Graveyard tour with me?" Parker asked.

"Fuck no." Was the reply.

The show went on, and Parker began to ridicule and taunt his band mates while on stage saying stuff like, "Thanks to Cory and Zach for putting up with me for all these years... But NO thanks!"

The tension built throughout the night, and finally it came to a climax when and in an introduction to final song of the night, "No Good Woman," Parker said, "This song is about Zach..."

Parker then went on to say, “This is the last song with this lineup, ever. So, fucking rock out!”

Then pandemonium erupted. Griggs hurled his guitar into Cory's drum kit, it landing on Cory's hands and smashing against his neck. Cory reacted in immediate self defense, and rifled it back at Parker who, in his drunken state, didn't react in time and took a sharp blow to his forehead. Friends and family rushed the stage to diffuse any further skirmish, but Cory and Zach had already exited stage right. Parker was given a towel and rushed to the emergency room.

The show was over.

The next night Radio Moscow was schedued to play in Cedar Rapids at Mahoney's Irish Pub. Even though the video claims that Griggs brought in two new musicians, and "the tour picked up right where Radio Moscow had left off," Mahoney's was left high and dry, Parker calling only a half hour before showtime to cancel the gig.

The owner of Mahoney's said this in the thread of comments under the video on Youtube: In reading that Radio Moscow "picked up right where it left off", simply is NOT TRUE. I own the venue they were to play the next night (Sunday). Not only did the band not show, they did not even bother to call until 30 minutes before the show was to start.... I have still not received any appologies. Mahoney's Irish Pub CR

Despite what the maker(s) of the video would like you to believe, Parker Griggs is not a victim of sabotage by his bandmates. He is a victim of his own accord, a perfect example of what happens when an inflated ego meets the end of somebody's rope. Sometimes reality hits you right in the face.

Yeah...I was there and heard all the crap Parker was giving his band that night. Even their parents wanted them to leave before doing the second set. You could just see Parker getting more pissed as the night went on, especially when his guitar went dead and Cory and Zack kept the rhythm going and the crowd was yelling YEAH Cory and Zack!!! Parker was slamming beers all night, that's why he couldn't catch his guitar coming back at him. I have been to several shows and I have never seen Parker throw his guitar!> He got what he asked for

Yes, clearly not! Thank you for showing the other side of this. I would prefer to think that Parker's fans would like to know the whole story instead of blindly being led by carefully chosen misrepresentations.

clearly can tell that whoever wrote this article was one sided. This is definitely a dramatic version of what happened. cory and zach obviously just want attention this sounds like middle school drama. need to grow up and stop dwelling on this stupid stupid story. it doesn't make anyone look good in the end. the action was stupid and the reaction was stupid. violence is always stupid period.

AAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!! That is hilarious!!! I don't blame the drummer one bit, the guitarist looks like an ego freak, not thatthe others aren't, this is a case of a player (not muscian) who would rather take the easy way out and act out in a passive aggressive way, now the guitar player can sit at home while his band is on tour, sober up man and take your job seriously, you've disrespected your art and don't deserve to be on tour.

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